I'd take a can of red spray paint and mark all those major defects. Then tell the builder to correct them. No reason to wait for an inspector.

Not sure on regulations where you are but in the uk there are milestones in a build that need to be signed of by building control.

The concerns you have about the framework are justified, I would not be happy with it if it were my new home and looks like the work is sloppy. Also if the contractors are cutting corners on this part of the build I would be looking at the rest of the work very closely as it will continue I am sure.

The framing appears to be a bit sloppy, but there's nothing structurally wrong with the wood. That stuff grows on trees. If you want perfectly straight and no knots, use steel in your next house please.

Your house will have to pass a frame inspection prior to insulation so yes it will be looked at. The problem is that inspectors are not all equal. Some go way overboard demanding more than is reasonable and some barely look at what’s done. Hopefully you will get a good one but I would bring up your concerns to the job superintendent and see what he has to say.

Wood bends and cracks, that’s it’s nature but the window header barely sitting on the jack stud doesn’t look too good. Since most walls have so many support studs I don’t think a few cracks are going to matter but if you don’t feel confident after talking to the builder you can get a private inspector to look and let you know what actually may be a problem and what just looks bad but doesn’t affect the integrity of the building.

80% of it should be fixed/replaced. All the splits/cracks, gaps, faulty/damaged material, will reflect on other finishing materials to be applied and there is a good possibility other issues will surface because of it if it is not taken care of.

Not correcting now will lead to issues that cannot be repaired after complete without full teardown of problem. I lived with a crooked bathroom window and doorframe in a new build for 20 years - ugh.

Window openings are oversized so that even if framing is not straight there is room to put windows and doors in square using shims. How framing works in SoCal is after house is rough framed pickup framers come with level and shave and shim walls so walls are straight. These pictures look to be taken before pickup so this is not how it will look so I wouldn’t get alarmed before bringing concerns to builder and see what he has to say.

Are you hiring your own pre-drywall inspector? Mine went over what needs to be corrected and gave me a report to bring to my walkthrough. None of my wood is that sloppy looking though.

On one build I was on, a shop teacher took a look and was amazed to see our "lead" carpenter was a kid he had failed in high school and hadn't learned anything since. But my building partner loved the rock-bottom pricing!

This is a sub-division where a super may have 50 or more homes to look at. Impossible to know if he/she/zie has been there. Or if the authority having jurisdiction inspected yet.

If this is a tract or developer type home some of it will get flagged by the inspector but the bulk of that will fly right thru. And realistically will be adequate. If you do not own the property and are buying the entire enchilada at closing your options are limited to basically accept what inspection says and the builders repairs or do not close, walk away and lose your deposit. They throw these houses up so quick with god knows how many new framers a week that this is all inevitable. Now if this is a custom home you need to speak up.

@worthy Couldn't agree with you more, most supers and some builders give a plan to a framer, when he is done he lets them know and they call for an inspection and schedule another trade to come in, even if they go inside and look at some framing some don't even have a clue what they looking at. From time to time I stop by to visit a few supers that I know who run jobs for some builders and you see a lead framer sleeping in the truck while his crew does the framing, he only wakes up to snap the lines on the next floor (because some of the crew members have no clue how to read a drawing) and he goes back to sleep unless someone has a question.

If the building inspector notices something they will fix it, if not it will go un-noticed. While the 1st year warranty of workmanship is in effect after the new home is completed, they will send someone to fix the defect after that the homeowner is on his own.

I think it may be a good idea to hire a new build inspector on your own. That is one of the sloppiest frame work houses, I have ever seen. I agree, you need to watch them, thats terrible.

For what it’s worth, the home is in the millions and I would expect nothing less than above average. My fulltime job has nothing to do with construction, but I shouldn’t have to be a construction worker to notice that these gaps, badly measured studs being barely held up by nails, etc. can’t be good for the integrity for any building, no matter the cost, size or shape. Also the fact that the home will have to withstand earthquakes, high winds, and other threat from Mother Nature worries me even more.

The pertinent question that determines a lot, is if this is owned by you, or the builder? Is it an architect custom designed project with an architect’s continued involvement? Or is is a stock plan tweaked by a drafter? And owned by the builder? Millions in LA is like a 300K elsewhere.

And what its that pinched intestine looking HVAC duct doing?

@prosource builder. It’s a builder similar to Toll Brothers but not Toll Brothers customer service or quality, apparently. Yes, that is the nature of the beast, but that 300k elsewhere is likely in the middle of nowhere with a layout fit for a grandma. On paper we’re getting a good product. Based of what I’m seeing on site, we’re getting a nightmare.

"On paper we’re getting a good product. Based of what I’m seeing on site, we’re getting a nightmare."

Hence the crapshoot of a tract or developer type home. Price point has more to do with the locale than the quality as you are finding out. You really have to options and that is go thru with the sale or walk and lose your deposit. The larger builders all have good lawyers drawing up their contracts and there is not much they have not seen.

Tract house procedures and tract house quality do not change. No matter how many zeros. They own it, and they control it, and your concerns are not going to be on their list. They will just sell to someone else after that all gets covered up.

@User @millworkman I would really, really hope that that's not the case. We have spoken to other builders who are very sensitive with their reputation and really want to do a great job. Toll Brothers for instance have been nothing more than stellar in working with us - it's a shame we did not move forward with them. This builder we are working with now is fairly new, and I would imagine that they want to do a good job or suffer with having a bad reputation early on from shoddy work. I have relayed my concerns to them and they seem to be responsive... Let's wait and see if they actually take action.

@GN Builders L.L.C Same way I see it. I am finding it hard to believe that a builder would even want to go through the pain of having a fallout with any customer especially when they are one home away from closing out this current phase of homes. Let's see what happens. I appreciate all of the feedback here. You guys are great.